Chapter 55: 55

Chapter 55 – Shadow

“Oh my God, Kallia! How could you not have aged at all?”

A chubby middle-aged woman opened her arms towards Kallia.
The sudden visitor was Rosilia Waldorf, the second most chatty person in the village.
She was also a neighbor and friend who became like family when Emilia’s family lived in the village long ago.

“Rosie…! What… what brings you here?”

The two smiled and hugged each other lightly.

“How many years has it been since we met like this? 4 years? No, 5 years?”
“5 years and 4 months to be precise. It was a time when I was very busy setting up a support stand for beans. I vividly remember the day when the pastor told me to pack up my luggage as soon as possible since he had found a place for us to live.”
“Yeah, that’s right…”

Rosie couldn’t look straight into Kallia’s eyes.

“… I’m sorry for ignoring you while you were going through such a hard time. I should have come and seen you right away.”

In front of Rosie, who bowed her head like a criminal, Kallia smiled softly.

“What are you sorry for? It’s not like you threw stones at us. I’m glad that you’re here now.”

When Kallia patted Rosie’s chubby back, she continued as if she were crying.

“For you, everything is ‘alright’. That’s a mask. We were too harsh. What’s wrong with you and Emilia, that we made you hide in such a secluded place…”

Rosie continued to apologize. Actually, it was more of an excuse than an apology, but Kallia accepted everything with a smile without a single word of hate.

“By the way… Where have all the kids gone? Why can’t I see any of them?”
“Charlotte went raspberry picking with the coachman, and Mitch is in the shed. And Emilia…”

Kallia’s voice became lower.

“She is sleeping now. She hasn’t been feeling well these days so she couldn’t sleep.”
“Oh my, why? Is she sick?”
“She is suffering from extreme exhaustion. You don’t know how hard it was at night.”

Tsk, tsk. The sound of a tongue-clicking followed.

There is only one cause for a strong child who has never caught a cold to continue to fall ill. Young Master Meyer.
Of course, Kallia had no intention of confiding that fact in front of that chatter.

“She just fell asleep, so try not to wake her up.”
“Huh? Oh… Alright, got it. Oh right, take this. I baked some cookies.”

As Rosie removed the cloth from the basket, the sweet and savory cookie scent wafted through. Kallia busily prepared the tea.
After a while, two teacups were placed on the table.

“By the way, how is Emilia now?”

Rosie asked as if she had been waiting.

“Hm? What do you mean?”
“I heard the rumor. There has been a lot of uproar in the parliament. Because of Emilia’s engagement.”

Kallia swallowed a groan. It seems that the story about ‘The Meyer Family’s Abandoned Fiancée’, which caused chaos in Nowak, had now reached the countryside.

“Did His Majesty summon the Duchess of Meyer and scold her very angrily? The parliament is pushing very hard on that Romalia or Rochester bill to get them married.”
“No, that’s not true. It’s true that there has been talk about the engagement, but everything else is false.”

Kallia diligently continued her explanation.
Assemblyman Hockney’s remarks at the breakfast meeting, His Majesty’s wrath, Young Master Meyer’s carriage gift, and even the apology for what happened in the past.
She spoke so enthusiastically that she didn’t even realize that her voice was getting louder.

“Oh my! Did something like that happen? Not all rumors are wrong. I heard you’re acting modestly because you are so nervous about the Meyer family? And that Young Master Meyer came here directly.”

Kallia’s lips twitched a few times, and then just shut.

“I heard that the Meyer family bought all the land in this area? I heard it was to build a villa and give it to Emilia as a present.”
“… It’s not like that. Rosie. You know too, how the people who like to talk make up strange words.”
“Then why does Young Master Meyer keep coming here? I heard he also invited Emilia to Nowak?”

Kallia didn’t know what to say, so she just kept her mouth shut. She couldn’t even tell her the truth that they had already agreed to break up the marriage and were only acting on the outside.

Rosie, who was observing Kallia, suddenly cleared her throat and opened her mouth carefully.

“You know what people are saying these days? I wasn’t planning to tell you about this…”
“… Why? What are you talking about?”
“Well, they say Prince Meyer wants Emilia to be his mistress.”

Kallia said, “That’s ridiculous.”, and shook her head vigorously.
But she couldn’t hide her uncomfortable feeling.

Since when? It must have started on the day Emilia brought Beppy.

They didn’t even realize it, but Hadius Meyer began to intervene deeply in their lives.
He made all sorts of excuses, such as compensation and break-up agreements, but his eyes were saying something completely different.

There was one more thing that made Kallia even more anxious.

The nineteen-year-old innocent Emilia, who doesn’t seem to know her feelings. If she had to describe in one word the way that child looks like next to Young Master Mayer, it would be ‘pretense’.
A pretense not to know, a pretense to be indifferent, a pretense not to like him, a pretense to hate him…
However, from waking up in the morning to sleeping again, all that came out of Emilia’s mouth was the words ‘selfish and rude young master’.

The decisive thing was the ball. In the dark of dawn, Kallia seemed to stop breathing when she saw the faces of the two dimly reflected under the outdoor lamp.
The pale Emilia and the stiff young master.
The tightening atmosphere between the two was clearly that of a man and woman exchanging emotions.

What on earth happened…

“How about it… Kallia?”

Kallia looked at Rosie with a blank expression on her face.

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“Hm? What?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m really speaking for you and Emilia.”
“… What are you trying to say?”
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Becoming a mistress.”
“What?”
“The other person is Hadius Meyer. He’s no different than a crown prince. She will be treated very differently from other common mistresses.”

Kallia couldn’t even blink her eyes and just stiffened.

“Think about it. Let’s say that Emilia broke up and returned to the world we belong to. How do you think her life will be like?”
“H-how it will be? It will be good. She will meet a kind and nice young man and get married…”

Rosie let out a long sigh as if she were frustrated.

“You still don’t understand? Emilia is no longer like us. That child is a complete noble now.”
“… What do you mean?”
“My daughter, Haley, met Emilia a few months ago. It had been almost 2 years since they met. But do you know what Hailey is saying? She says that Emilia doesn’t feel like a friend anymore. Not only her tone and appearance, but from her head to toes, and even her small gestures, she has become a perfect lady. She pretended it was nothing because she was afraid that Emilia would feel sad, but the truth is, it was too difficult and uncomfortable.”

Recognizing that Kallia couldn’t deny it, Rosie continued to strongly express her feelings in her words.

“Can such a child be satisfied with an ordinary carpenter, farmer, or weaver? Ordinary men who are soaked in the smell of sweat, spit everywhere, and misspell everything. How many commoners in the world would live with a lady as elegant as Emilia?”
“… Even so… a mistress…”

“Don’t take it with bad feelings. I would have said that even if it were my daughter Haley.”

Feeling like she was drowning, Kallia opened her mouth.

“But Rosie, Emilia knows how to read ledgers. She can read and understand all the difficult books that make my eyes spin. She can just live alone and study what she wants to.”
“That’s not bad either. But is there something free in the world? Doesn’t someone have to pay for the tuition and living expenses?”

At that moment, a cough erupted from Kallia’s mouth. Rosie hurriedly poured water into the cup, but she couldn’t even take a sip. The cough that seemed to scratch her lungs continued for a long time until tears welled up in Kallia’s eyes.

Rosie waited for the coughing to subside before speaking again.

“Emilia is a smart child, so maybe she will be able to pay for school on her own somehow. But what about Charlotte? Will Emilia be able to pretend not to know and leave her younger sister to her stepmother, and study whatever she wants to?”
“… I-I will help her, Rosie. Although Emilia and Charlotte are not my real daughters… I… I want to do my best so that they can live the life they want.”
“Yeah, Kallia, I know you love them as much as your own son. But please think realistically. Supporting Emilia’s studies, caring for Charlotte, and even sending Mitch to college? How? By waking up early in the morning every day, going to the factory, and helping with the laundry?”

Rosie frowned, pointing to the pile of cloth lying on the kitchen floor.

“Above all, Kallia, I overheard a few days ago. Is it true that Mr. Borden’s factory is 3 months behind in payments? I heard you even had to go to ‘Ramsco’ to borrow money…”

The haggard hand tightened around the teacup. She tried to hide her trembling eyes, but unfortunately, Kallia could not avoid Rosie’s sharp gaze.

“… You know what happens if you don’t pay back the money there? You knew it, and borrowed it? Hm?”

 

***

 

Today, too, Grozhang visited the Krambitz villa punctually.

Caitlyn Meyer always greeted him with a worried face and invited him into a secret place in the study.
But for some reason, she smiled brightly and asked for a walk in the garden. Grozhang was slightly perplexed, but then readily nodded his head.

The conversations they exchanged did not change just because the location was different. Walking through the flower beds filled with the scent of flowers, Grozhang began to report on Hadius Meyer’s deeds over the past week.

Caitlyn, who had been silently listening, stopped walking as the talk about a sudden ‘vacation’ came out.

“For around a month? He cut off all contact with the outside world?”
“Yes.”
“… Where?”
“Sitmer. A villa that was bestowed by His Majesty the King to commemorate the conclusion of the negotiations.”

His brown eyes twinkled strangely under the sun. Grozhang had to give a lot of strength to his body so that his anxiously beating heart wouldn’t be noticed.

Fortunately, Caitlyn nodded her head with no sign of doubt.

“Well, he did run around non-stop, from Trunia to the break-up. Make sure you take good care of him. Do not accept needless visiting cards or invitations.”

Caitlyn shook the fan slowly.
Standing under the beautiful tree on a sunny morning, she looked like a relaxed and boring lady to anyone’s eyes.

Grozhang realized that she hadn’t even asked about the ‘country child’.

Did the break-up dispel her remaining doubts and bring true peace?
Or does she not have time to care due to William Richard’s betrayal?

Although he was relieved, he couldn’t get rid of his uncomfortable feeling.

Didn’t his master tell him? Caitlyn Meyer is by no means an easy person.
It may seem like she doesn’t have any doubts, but you never know what she may be thinking on the inside.

“I will visit often while I am in Sitmer.”
“Don’t be unreasonable, you should get some rest too at a time like this.”
“… Thank you.”

After leaving Krambitz, Grozhang went straight to the Sitmer villa, where Hadius Meyer was staying.

It was a long distance that took half a day just to get there.

The place, which had been owned by the royal family for over 100 years, was actually close to being a separate palace. When war broke out, it was also used as a hiding place for the royal family.
The vineyards and gardens surrounding the villa were so beautiful that anyone could admire them. A small stream, a small fountain, and even straight roadside trees.
It was a place with a harmonious charm, different from the magnificent Krambitz.

Hadius was there, on the terrace of the second floor.

Standing there, with the large vineyard as background, he looked very calm, as always. But as he got closer, Grozhang was startled and unable to speak for a moment.
Next to his master were a half-empty whiskey bottle and an empty vial.

If he had to point out the things that the Meyer family’s heir had stayed away from all his life since he was born, they would be alcohol, cigarettes, and women.
Not only in his rigorously educated childhood, but also the promiscuous parties full of prodigal men, the social clubs, and the military academy, he has always stayed away from them.

“… Young Master.”

Hadius turned around. Of course, there was not a single hint of disorder in his eyes or expression.
The only indication that the young Meyer may have been drunk is that the top button of the shirt, which is always buttoned all the way, was slightly undone.

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